sci-fi

Viral Video: Steven Spielberg Really Is a Geek

Kara Swisher in Media on January 24 at 1:22 am PT

And that’s meant as a compliment.

Viral Video: Hey Kids, Don’t Go Into “The Cabin in the Woods”

Kara Swisher in Media on December 7, 2011 at 3:24 am PT

Creepy, whether crazy hillbillies or crazy sci-fi aliens. This is both.

Viral Video: “John Carter” Is on Mars

Kara Swisher in Media on December 2, 2011 at 2:12 am PT

A sci-fi classic goes live-action on the Red Planet.

BoomTown Prediction: Chasing Away the Mice (And Keyboards Too)

Kara Swisher in News on May 7, 2010 at 10:30 am PT

The Washington Post, where I once toiled, asked me to do a short piece recently for a spring-cleaning feature in its Outlook section. It was titled “Twelve Things the World Should Toss Out,” and BoomTown’s choice was physical computer keyboards and mice. Before you go all technical on me, be warned: I wrote the piece on an Apple iPad with a virtual keyboard and touchscreen. And frankly, if I could have all my blog posts downloaded directly from my noggin, it would be okay by me.

Voices

A Brief History of Sci Fi.

Nitrozac and Snaggy in News on April 26, 2010 at 1:07 pm PT

Here is the latest comic from our Joy of Tech friends at Geek Culture, Nitrozac and Snaggy. Joy of Tech appears three times a week in the Voices section of this site. (Click on the image to see a bigger version.)

Invasion of the iPad Snatchers: My First Jobs Keynote Ever

Kara Swisher in News on January 25, 2010 at 12:06 pm PT

After all these years of covering tech, BoomTown is a little embarrassed to admit that I have never attended in person one of the legendary keynote speeches delivered by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. This year I finally said yes–to an invite to the Wednesday event, at which a new tablet computer is likely to be unveiled to the fervent Apple faithful, but it immediately made me think of the iPods, oops, pods, in “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” Note to self: Do not fall asleep.

Here Comes Tech-Heavy "Avatar" (and the Inevitable Smurf Spoof)

Kara Swisher in News on November 17, 2009 at 10:00 pm PT

Hollywood director James Cameron is well known for his heavy use of special effects and techtastic techniques in his movies, which include “Titanic,” “Aliens” and the first–and best–two “Terminator” blockbusters. In a few weeks, Cameron is hoping to hit geek gold again with a 3-D sci-fi juggernaut called “Avatar,” which is about an indigenous blue-colored tribe and their inevitable greedy enemies. Thus, cue the Smurfs!

"V" Is Very, Very, Very V-abulous, but Not Online

Kara Swisher in News on November 6, 2009 at 5:34 am PT

ABC certainly has been taking its sweet time in releasing the first episode of “V,” a sci-fi television series that debuted earlier this week on the Web in any substantial way. The premiere of a redo of a 1980s miniseries about a lizardy alien invasion disguised as a peace mission by outerspace hotties turned out to be a big broadcast hit, but it is hard to watch online. Until tomorrow, that is.

Gandhi's Head Starring as the "G" in Google Today

Kara Swisher in News on October 2, 2009 at 1:14 am PT

For the last month or so, the Google homepage has played with the famous colored-letter logo by morphing it into a sci-fi in-joke and later adding another “l” to indicate the company’s 11th birthday. Now, a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi–the Indian leader whose 140th birthday anniversary is today–has become the “G” in the logo. Yes, indeed, the head of the man known as “The Father of a Nation” is a letter.

It Won't Be Baaaaaaack: "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" Canceled (But Here's a Resistance Video From John Connor!)

Kara Swisher in News on May 19, 2009 at 12:04 am PT

Big, giant and prolonged sigh–as well as a cranky-old-lady shake of the fist–to our distant cousins over at the Fox television network who dinged BoomTown’s favorite sci-fi show, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” today. I am officially in a Summer Glau funk, with major gadget withdrawal. Loosely based on the movie franchise, the show garnered a passionate fan base online and off, but not enough to merit being renewed. It’s ironic since the latest film in the cyborg-versus-man epic, “Terminator Salvation,” will open this Thursday. But one of the TV show’s stars is fighting back online. All hail the Resistance!